A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I think this might be the great American Novel. A Game of Thrones simultaneously celebrates and deconstructs the American obsession with bravery and heroism; it interrogates the trend of the powerful towards corruption, and even has time to explore the nuances of privilege.
What's really amazing with this book is how effectively it subverts the tropes of modern fantasy, and at the same time revels in them. There are no particular heroes, barely a quest to be found, and the dragons don't show up until literally the last page At the same time we get heroic showdowns*, a fabulous detour through of a mountaintop fortress, and a creepy undercurrent of the wonders yet to behold in this world.
And there are wonderful characters, pithy dialogue, some well written battle scenes, and lots of sex, to boot!
* just not necessarily between the people we would choose to face off...
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